Chapter : 10
I really didn’t want to tell him, but since I was afraid he might freeze Leila again just because he was in a bad mood, I couldn’t openly resist.
Looking sleepy, he let out a huge yawn and spoke.
“I’ve been researching, so this is the first thing I’ve eaten in a month. Well, I could live my whole life without eating, I guess. Anyway, I’m tired. Could you show me to a room, Vanessa?”
Seeing him naturally ask for a room of his own, I ground my teeth.
“…Please follow me.”
Ugh, I seriously hate this.
I went up the stairs with a sour expression. Apparently my face was hilarious, because the Mage Tower Master clutched his stomach and laughed.
Just like that, the number of uninvited guests in the fortress increased.
I wrote in my notebook titled “Fortress Personnel Management” and calculated how much food we had left.
Another mouth to feed.
Unlike the Crown Prince, the Mage Tower Master couldn’t even be controlled.
At this rate, I’m going to get gray hair.
Sighing deeply, I slumped over my desk.
[Fortress Personnel Management Note]
Count Clark and his wife
Leila: my fairy
Crown Prince, young knight Eric: laborers 1 and 2
Mage Tower Master: uninvited guest 1
From that day on, the Mage Tower Master followed me around everywhere.
Basically—
[Mage Tower Master’s Daily Routine]
Sleeps in until lunchtime.
Wakes up and follows me around.
Follows me around while saying things that get on my nerves.
Enjoys watching me go “grrrr.”
That seemed to be it.
Except for when I went to the bathroom, he interfered the entire time I worked on the farm, constantly getting on my nerves. Or he’d beg me to make potato pancakes.
One guy’s obsessed with digging up potatoes, the other’s obsessed with potato pancakes.
None of them were normal.
No—let me correct that.
At least the Crown Prince was an excellent farmhand when it came to physical labor. It’s just that sometimes… he’d dig in completely random places like a madman.
Please, just go away.
Even now, the Mage Tower Master was sitting cross-legged in midair, watching me make yogurt with great interest.
This is unbearable.
As if he’d read my expression, he smiled lazily and poked my cheek.
“Vanessa.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not a prophet, are you?”
“I am, actually.”
“Come on, you can tell me everything.”
And why exactly should I trust you?
For a week, our conversations usually went like this.
The Mage Tower Master probing endlessly, and me denying everything no matter what.
If he ever found out that I was reincarnated, I’d either be subjected to experiments alive—or experimented on after death. One or the other.
And if he found out this was actually the world of a novel? That he was just one of the characters?
That might crack the pride of a man who believed he knew everything about this world. Who knew—he might go insane and turn the entire world into his laboratory.
Thankfully, for whatever reason, he didn’t use hypnosis magic or spells to forcibly extract the truth from me.
“Yogurt on today’s menu?”
“I thought we’d eat it with strawberry jam as a snack.”
I picked up the strawberries I’d harvested that morning and headed for the oven. The Mage Tower Master floated along behind me.
I miss being alone.
I missed the days when it was just Leila and me, happily building up the fortress together. Now there were too many mouths to feed, and farm work was getting overwhelming.
Now I understand why grandmas and grandpas who farm a lot have bad backs.
The Crown Prince and Eric helped diligently, but since they weren’t used to farming, they often snapped perfectly healthy stems. Then I had to go fix things afterward.
As for the Mage Tower Master—what’s there to say? He only used magic when he felt like it, and most of the time he was busy asking me to make something tasty.
“So, is today finally potato pancakes?”
Ugh, I’m sick of this. I made them once on a rainy day, and now I’ll be hearing about potato pancakes until I die.
I washed the strawberries, cut off the stems, and put them into a pot, then dumped in sugar.
“Mmm, smells good.”
As the strawberries began to simmer, the Mage Tower Master sniffed the air. I skimmed off the foam and waved my hand.
“Move. You’re in the way.”
“I’m doing it on purpose.”
“…Hah.”
I really wanted to hit him.
I clenched my fist, trembling. He grinned and stepped back.
“Hey, why are you clenching your fist like that? Scary.”
As if you’re scared.
Rather than look at his fake words, I focused on the boiling strawberries.
“Whew, it’s done.”
Checking with a spatula, it was reduced enough. It had a jelly-like texture, so all that was left was to turn off the heat and let it cool.
“Is it finished?”
“Yes. It just needs to cool now.”
“Really? I’ll cool it for you.”
He blew gently, and in an instant the pot turned cold.
Damn it. With that ability, why don’t you help with the farm work?
There’s so much to do!
Though I wasn’t grateful at all, I forced a bow and a smile. The Mage Tower Master beamed.
“You’re thankful, right? See? Isn’t it great having me around?”
Yeah. Thanks a damn lot.
“Yes… s-sooo much.”
Ever since the Mage Tower Master arrived, my swearing vocabulary had expanded.
I hated his purple hair, hated those unreadable red eyes, hated his flashy jewel-covered clothes and earrings.
I just don’t like him.
Taking containers out of the cupboard, I silently repeated a mantra.
They say if you endure three times, you avoid murder.
But he couldn’t endure even that and opened his mouth again, chattering like a bird.
“You’re really lucky, you know. Thanks to me, you get to use magic for free.”
Should I just kill him?
I glanced at the kitchen knife on the cutting board. If I stabbed him in one go, maybe—
“I can see everything you’re thinking. Even if you stab me with that knife, I won’t die. I can’t die.”
Tch.
Pouting, I started ladling the strawberry jam into jars. Since when could he read my thoughts?
“You don’t need to use magic. Your thoughts are written all over your face. You’re staring straight at the knife—anyone would notice.”
If you know, then shut up.
Just as I finished filling the jars, the door burst open and Eric rushed in.
“Lady Vanessa!”
“What is it, Eric?”
“Well… His Highness broke the handle of the last remaining hoe.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake.
I slapped my forehead.
As if things weren’t bad enough. Whenever the Crown Prince didn’t dig the soil, stray thoughts seemed to creep in, so once farm work was done, he’d dig by himself.
I thought we’d brought enough hoes, but apparently not. Without hoes, we couldn’t pull weeds or harvest potatoes. In other words, farm work would come to a halt.
What do we do?
Beside me, the Mage Tower Master laughed gleefully.
“There’s no blacksmith and no forge around here. What will you do, our Vanessa?”
Are you mocking me right now?
I whipped my head around and glared at him. He just shrugged.
So you are mocking me.
Don’t waste your energy. Mocking me is probably the joy of his life right now.
Just then, Leila came running in.
“Vanessa!”
What now?
“The sickle broke. What do we do? That was the last one!”
Why is everyone breaking everything?!
My head started to ache, and I roughly ran my fingers through my hair. The Crown Prince entered behind her, looking gloomy.
“Killian.”
Knowing he was at fault, he bowed his head.
“I’m sorry.”
Is ‘sorry’ enough?
What am I supposed to do about my hoe?
Eric cautiously spoke up.
“Lady Vanessa, I think we’ll have to go outside the fortress. If we ride for half a day, there should be a nearby village. We’ll need to get supplies from there.”
“I know…”
I know—but who’s going to go?
The Crown Prince carefully raised his hand.
“I’ll go.”
“I’ll go as well,” Eric said, raising his hand too.
Should I just send those two?
Aside from the Mage Tower Master, they were the strongest fighters. Sending anyone else might just get them bitten.
Just as I was about to nod—
“I’ll help.”
You? Since when?
For once, the Mage Tower Master said something useful.
“Really? Thank you!”
For the first time, a sincere thank-you came out of my mouth. I was truly, genuinely grateful. He chuckled playfully.
“It’s nothing.”
Then he snapped his fingers like Thanos.
But—
“Lady Vanessa… why did you move me too?”
Burned-down houses.
A shabby barn.
The Crown Prince and Eric looking confused.
And me.
You bastard, why would you move me too?! How is this helping at all?!
It was obvious they had moved me here on purpose to screw me over. I’m not a combat force, so I wouldn’t be of much help if I encountered a zombie.
But there was no time to space out.
“Grrr…”
“Grrr…”
The sounds of zombies echoed from afar. Without hesitation, we ran into the barn in front of us.
But parts of the barn walls had collapsed, leaving it wide open, and zombies wandered past just beyond the walls. Sitting against the wall and holding my breath, I covered my mouth with my hand.
There were far too many zombies for the Crown Prince and Eric to cut down.
With empty, clouded eyes as if coated in white film, the number of zombies roaming the village looked to be over thirty at least.
This was a pretty big village!
Big enough to have a wealthy landowner’s mansion.
Then the Crown Prince slowly mouthed words to me.
There are no hoes or sickles here.
I know.
If we go to the mansion ahead, there will be plenty.
I know that too.
The problem was how to get past all those zombies.
If the Crown Prince and Eric fought their way through, the numbers might decrease—but the noise could draw even more zombies from farther away.
More than anything, the distance from here back to the fortress was considerable. If they kept fighting the entire way, they’d be completely exhausted.
So the priority was to infiltrate the mansion ahead as quietly as possible, without wasting stamina.
That was when I spotted a squeaky toy children used to play with.
End Of Chapter : 10
